I believe that groups coming together to make tough decisions driven by consensus tend to make poor decisions.

This is especially true in startups where speed matters and where there is a need to constantly calibrate direction and where these decisions can have existential outcomes.

Should you increase your burn rate by adding 2 senior hires who will help you ship faster or sell more but then have less time for fund raising? Or maybe their existence itself will help accelerate fund raising. Who the fuck knows? But YOU have to make that tough judgment call.

Should you raise $3 million in stead of $2 million even though it means more dilution so that you will have a longer runway?

Is it better to have 2 VCs in the deal at 12% each or one at 24%? There’s no right answer.

Do you ship your product in what you don’t feel is feature complete so that you can be in market first or should you hold back and deliver a product you believe will get better reaction from the market but is 3 months later?

It’s hard being a leader. By definition leaders make hard choices given incomplete information. And by tough decisions I mean it is clear that some people’s views will end up on one side of the fence and others will end up on the other side.

People who don’t always put themselves first even though the fact that they make tough judgment calls often makes others feel they are in it for themselves. People who go the extra mile behind the scenes to make sure that employees get topped up on options because you didn’t get their paperwork done before the 409a valuation even though said employee may not even know you did it for them.

Or firing people. While on the surface it can elicit negativity or a feeling that you have a sharp edge while in some ways your benevolence might be that you are increasing the probability of success for everybody who stays. Increasing the chances of success for the people who put in their evenings and weekends and sweated their butts off for success when the people terminated may not have pulled their weight.

You’re the leader. It is your job to face these decisions early rather than put off that which is unpleasant. It is your job to absorb the uncertainty so that others can concentrate. Your job to face the naysayers, the haters, the skeptics, the back-benchers, the soft. And to take shit from all of them while still turning up at work with a smile on your faces and moving forward.

You’ll get your accolades. People will notice results. You’ll get public pats on the back and attaboys (girls). But you’ll have an equal chorus of, “She’s difficult to work with. She far too opinionated. Tempestuous.”

Fuck ‘em.

Don’t feed the trolls. Know that you signed up for this and it is why you are a leader.

I know, I know.

It’s 2013 and I’m supposed to believe in the “wisdom of the crowds.” We’re supposed to all allow side projects. 20% time. Total transparency. Everyone has a say. Free food. A chef. An on premise masseuse.

And that’s fine.

Except that all of this “can’t we all just get along” mentality produces slow decisions. Group think. Compromises that lead to mediocrity. Avoidance of bold moves.

Decision makers. Visionaries. Leaders. Chart their own course against the constant chorus of second guessers.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that you should make decisions without other people’s input.

My motto is “always triangulate.”

I constantly ask people their opinions about topics and listen to how they argue them. By having many views and mixing it up into a pot and then sorting it out with a logic structure that informs my decision I often feel I get better results.

I don’t believe in turning up to a group discussion to form my opinion. I believe in sequential debates with the participants before I arrive. I then have a nuanced view of everyone’s position to make the most informed decision accounting for everyone’s views.

I know I kind of have a gene missing that allows the long, slow, consensus-building required to make infinitesimal progress on what are obvious decisions in side of my head. And it’s why I can never run for public office.

And I know that for every leader with whom this post resonates I will producer others who are affronted.

It’s subjective.

If you’re one of the ones with me just have the confidence to stick to your guns.

And the temerity to follow through on the vision of the future that is forming in your mind.

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2x startup Founder & CEO who has gone to the Dark Side of VC. His first company, BuildOnline was sold in 2005, his second, Koral was acquired by Salesforce.com and became known as Salesforce Content, while Mark served as VP Product Management. In 2007 Mark joined GRP Partners in 2007 as a General Partner. He focuses on early-stage technology companies, usually looking at Series A investment, and blogs at the aptly titled Both Sides of the Table.